At the Southern Table with Paula Deen: A Sneak Peek

We had so much fun the day we shot this photo. In case you’re not familiar with all of my growing family, I’ll fill you in on who is in the photo. Standing, left to right: Michael’s son Anthony, his wife, Ashley, and introducing their son, Bennett Rich Groover; Jamie, and his wife, Brooke; Bobby, and his wife, Claudia. Seated, left to right: Michael; Paula; Jamie and Brooke’s children, Matthew and Jack; Paula’s niece, Corrie; and Aunt Peggy.

My new cookbook, At the Southern Table with Paula Deen, goes on sale September 26th, and I am so excited to give you a sneak peek:

My two biggest passions in life are my family and good old-fashioned, down-home Southern cooking. I’m fortunate to have been blessed with an abundance of both. I learned how to cook from my mama and grandmamas and my Aunt Peggy, but it never occurred to me that we were cooking and eating “Southern” food; it was simply good food. Of course, after I got married and started a family of my own, my sons, Jamie and Bobby, grew up eating the same things I did.

My boys and I spent a lot of years struggling, but I did my best to give them the same traditions and experiences as children that I’d had, the most important of which were home-cooked foods and family meals at the table. I have such strong memories of when I was a girl, around the dinner table with my brother and parents and any other relatives or friends who may have popped in for a quick chat. If you were there at mealtime, you got fed. Even if it wasn’t mealtime, visitors were always served iced tea and a little something to snack on. That’s just the way Southern hospitality works.

Jamie and Bobby and my niece, Corrie, grew up learning these customs, and they are continuing these traditions with their own families. Our family has grown in other ways, as well. When I married Michael, his daughter, Michelle, and son, Anthony, became part of my family. They both have children, and between us, Michael and I have six grandsons! We are truly blessed.

When we’re not all scattered to the winds with school, work, and other commitments, there is nothing in the world I love more than having all our children and grandchildren over to our house and cooking a meal for them. My kitchen is definitely my happy place, and all the goodies I whip up are my way of expressing love for my family and dear friends. After spending decades in the kitchen, cooking up treasured family favorites or trying out new meals for a change of pace, I have a collection of delicious, trustworthy, well-used recipes that I can always rely on to put smiles on my family’s faces.

Because these recipes are inspired by my years of making everything from easy weeknight meals and Saturday morning breakfasts to dishes for a potluck or a more formal affair, there’s a little bit of everything in this cookbook. Whether new or old, simple or elaborate, these meals and menus have been with me as I’ve celebrated the most festive and everyday occasions in my life, and I love that I get to invite you into my kitchen and share them with you.

It’s my hope that these dishes that have filled my family with comfort and made memories for us all will inspire you to cook up the same traditions with your loved ones.

From my table to yours,

Paula

At the Southern Table with Paula Deen features 150 heartwarming and belly-filling recipes, including 30 you’ve never seen before. With a photo for every recipe, your mouth is sure to start watering when you start paging through these delectable dishes. The book includes entertaining tips, preparation techniques, and so many simple, spectacular recipes. It’s time to pull up a seat at Paula’s table. At the Southern Table with Paula Deen is available September 26th. Pre-order your copy now at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Books-a-Million, Costco, Walmart.com, and Evine.

Paula Deen
- As a young girl growing up in Albany, Georgia, Paula Deen never dreamed she would become an American icon. As a young mother, Paula was living the American dream — married to her high school sweetheart and raising two adorable boys — when tragedy struck. Her parents died, her marriage failed and she began a prolonged battle with agoraphobia. With her boys in their teens and her family near homelessness, Paula took her last $200, reached deep inside her soul and started The Bag Lady, a home-based catering company that marked the start of Deen's professional cooking career. With sons Jamie and Bobby delivering lunch-and-love-in-a-bag, beginning in June 1989, Paula turned her life around by sharing what she knew best, traditional Southern cooking.